Choirs

The Office of the Protective Commissioner and the Office of the Public Guardian is staffed by 330 people who look after the financial and personal affairs of people who are unable to make decisions on their own behalf. Both organisations face significant challenges including;



  • Restructures in both

  • Increasing demand for service

  • Moving offices across the whole organisation

  • Consequent loss of skilled staff

  • Engagement of new staff

  • Complex work often involving families in conflict


At the end of 2007 the Commissioner invited staff to form a festive season choir and 20 staff formed the inaugural choir including people with trained voices, others who had sung in the school choir and people who believed they were tone deaf! With the support of a professional singing teacher the choir first sang for and end-of-year afternoon tea and the performance was a resounding success. The choir decided that they wanted to continue to sing as a group and later we extended membership to all business centres of Attorney Generals Department located at Parramatta. While not designed to be a performance choir they will have performed a further four times by the holiday break – all within the broader Department.


"From my perspective, the choir has provided an invaluable platform for cross and intra-organisational understanding, is a great team building activity and has also been beneficial to singers with all levels of experience. People who previously communicated via e-mail have met each other on a different playing field and the positive effect has translated back to their daily work.


Staff who have not joined the choir remain great supporters and frequently ask members about the choir and when we are performing next. It has become a marker point in the week for all members. It takes only an hour, but that hour is a respite from our demanding and stressful jobs when we immerse ourselves in an activity that is different, energising, a team endeavour, mentally stimulating and just downright fun." Imelda Dodds, Protective Commissioner and Public Guardian


  • Choral singing and psychological wellbeing, Clift et al 2007

  • Effects choir singing on affect, Kreutz et al 2004

  • Ageing community and choral singing - Australia, Southcott and Joseph 2010

  • Employee wellbeing and choir singing, Purcell and Kagan 2008

  • Psychological benefits of choir singing - Australia, Clift 2010

  • 'Young sound wins chorus of approval' The Age, December 24, 2010. By Sarah-jane Collins.

  • The significance of choral singing for sustaining psychological wellbeing: findings from a survey of choristers in England, Australia and Germany. Stephen Clift and Grenville Hancox

  • Choral singing and psychological wellbeing: Quantitative and qualitative findings from English choirs in a cross-national survey. Stephen Clift and Grenville Hancox

  • Effects of group singing and performance for marginalized and middle-class singers. Betty A. Bailey and Jane W. Davidson

  • Study of 600 choir members in England: Article 1, Article 2

  • Canterbury Christ Church University - Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health Research Project Outcomes:


    1. Singing and Health: Summary of a Systematic Mapping and Review of Non-Clinical Research - Professor Stephen Clift, Grenville Hancox, Rosalia Staricoff and Christine Whitmore PDF 1.4mb 

    2. The Silver Song Club Project: Summary of a Formative Evaluation - Hilary Bungay and Ann Skingley PDF 1.6mb

    3. Choral Singing, Wellbeing and Health: Summary of Findings from a Cross-national Survey - Stephen Clift, Grenville Hancox, Ian Morrison, Bärbel Hess, Don Stewart and Gunter Kreutz PDF 1.9mb